Western apathy

A clear example of just how much the world stands divided on the Israel-Palestine ‘issue’ would be the result of a Russian-drafted UNSC resolution that had called for a humanitarian ceasefire to the conflict. Russia had proposed the resolution last Friday, and called for a ceasefire, release of hostages, humanitarian aid access, and the safe evacuation of civilians in need. As expected, three ‘big’ powers voted against the resolution, which had condemned violence against civilians and terrorism but – to the reservations of Western powers – had not named Hamas. Till now, 3,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7; Palestinian officials say one-third of those killed are children. A more stark statistic has also been offered; one Palestinian child killed every 15 minutes. As thousands of Palestinians battle water shortages, one wonders at how the otherwise-lofty West can live with such violence unleashed on a traumatized people. The WHO had said a day back that Gaza only had 24 hours of water, electricity, and fuel left. Experts and health officials have also warned that people in Gaza could soon start dying without water.
The UNSC vote on the ceasefire resolution can be seen in light of how the US and Europe have reacted to the Palestine crisis. While China, the UAE, Mozambique and Gabon joined Russia in voting for the resolution, the US, UK, France and Japan voted against it. The other six countries abstained. In the words of former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, the failure of the resolution is “not just disappointing but deeply troubling”. It is also not as though the people of Gaza – now struggling to drink water and rationing the little water left for their children – have anywhere to go. Humanitarian aid is stuck at the Rafah crossing in Egypt, and Egypt has said that Israel is not cooperating even about getting essential aid through to the Gazans.
All this comes as US President Biden is set to visit Israel today, apparently in a show of solidarity with Israel. From propping up fake news and disinformation to cracking down on pro-Palestine supporters, Western nations have exhibited unveiled racism and the cruellest apathy towards the people of Gaza. While progressive legislators in the US have introduced a congressional resolution urging “an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine”, it is unlikely they will get anywhere with that. The mood in the West seems to be to let the people of Gaza die under the rubble as Israel strikes flatten their homes. Ironically, the US has asked China to use its ‘influence’ in curbing the conflict. While China is sending its special envoy to the Middle East, we ask where all the talk about human rights and humanitarianism goes when the West is asked to play fair by the Palestinians? For years, the Global South has been lectured on ‘human rights’ by the US and European countries. That has all disappeared today, as speaking up for Palestine becomes a crime in these developed and ‘civilized’ nations. The Muslim world is also asking where the OIC figures in all this. Will today’s urgent meeting of the OIC stand unequivocally behind Palestine, forgetting whatever differences the countries have with each other? And how many more children are to die before the West concedes that only word can be used for what is happening to the Palestinians: Genocide.
Source: thenews.com.pk